Bliss… Change the one vowel and now it spells “bless.” I wonder if puddles can be perceived blessings. To me they seem more of a nusance that can cause clammy discomfort, stains, and laundering. I cannot see what it so fancinating with a small pool of cold and dirty water on the sidewalk. There is an obvious disconnect for myself and most adults (Gene Kelly excluded). My children (and most of the children I have observed) seem tickled to their core for an opportunity to splash about in a puddle. My daughters consider it pure joy when they encounter puddles of various kinds. And, after a delightful rain dance and their clothes drenched, they are simply happy. My daughters are not at all concerned by their appreance, nor the least bit uncomfortable with wet clothing. They have bliss. And they feel only blessed that I allowed them the opportunity to experience such joy.

This correlates to our Christian walk. The Christian life is to be one of joy. Jesus begins his great sermon with the Beatitudes (Luke 6:2-23). Some translations choose to translate the Greek word here as “happy” rather than “blessed” and justifiably so. Sadly some of us have distilled “blessed” into a religious expresson and in so doing removed happiness from its core. God has called us and in His first sermon He says we are called to be happy!

As anyone would tell you,  we all encounter various “puddles” on the Way of Life. It is not the puddle but our attitude that steals our joy. To be a Christian is to be a child of God and therefore the puddles should be viewed from their point-of-view. Notice the blessed puddles Jesus mentions. “Happy are you who are poor… who hunger now… who weep now… who are hated, excluded, insulted, rejected and called evil…” These puddles seem to be missing the bliss from our cultural perspective. How is hunger, sadness and rejection a good life? Ah, but from the perspective of a child of God, there is bliss in the puddles for which others fear to tread. We may dance in the rain of this world for we will reign with Him in the world to come. It is all in the perception. Suffering reminds us of what we truly value. Loss gives us the sense of value for what we had.

Join me in puddle jumping. Find the joy of the Christian way which does not skirt the potholes of life but enters into them and finds freedom where others may only see mess. Reexamine some of the difficult times you have experienced and see what valuable lessons, what new found friends, what encouragement, and what strengths were found in those episodes. Next time a puddle lays before you do not take the safe way around but jump in for therein lies a blessing.

First, Noah is having his righteous faithfulness tested and proven true. Every day, people are looking at him as if he’s lost his marbles – building a boat, waiting for rain. Could you imagine the hassle it was to go down to the hardware store and hear the men chuckle as he buys a couple more planks, some wa- terproofing tar and another box of nails? Or when he went to the market to purchase some bags of bird seed and lion food? The mockery, the jabs, the snickers and the violence against his person and his psyche… But he was proven faithful. After years of hard work and ridicule, he built the ark that would save his wife, family and a world full of animals.

Secondly, it gave the people a chance to see true faith and to respond. God has compassion on his people and will give them ample time to choose. They saw the man who worked under scorn, they heard his words of righteousness as he preached and prepared for the coming judgment. And yet, they chose their destiny, they chose not to repent.

What can we learn from this? 1) Take each test that comes your way as a chance to show yourself faithful to God. 2) You may work and preach and live righteously and in the Lord’s eyes, you are found faithful, even if the harvest you reap is only 7 humans. Ezekiel says when God brings judgment, even if Noah was among them, his righteousness would only save himself (Ezekiel 14:14). Your job is to preach the truth, prepare for the coming of Christ and live a righteous life. It is God’s job to save. So what task seeming like a lifetime of mean- inglessness to you – maybe it’s a test of your faithfulness and a testimony to others of godliness.

I have spent this week with some of my favorite saints — the homebound who desire to be with us on Sunday but cannot physically be present. So many of them have been stripped of many privileges we take for granted like driving or getting a cold drink whenever they feel like it, or going to the bathroom without having to ask permission or hit a button for assistance.

I wonder if fasting, taking a day to feel like one who is unable to make the voluntary choices we do daily without much thought — I wonder if it will help us to pray with fer­vency, to love with compassion, to hope for their healing…

Fasting as Spiritual Preparation for seeing God.

Fasting is intended as spiritual preparation for an experience of deeper communion with God. Each person is a unity of body and soul. A right spiritual diet and a discipline of fasting go together and strengthen each other. Just as prayer benefits not only the soul but also the body so also fasting benefits not only the body but also the soul. Fasting and prayer make us more sensitive to God’s personal presence

We should come to receive his words and his deeds—he wants to heal, and he wants to teach us, and yes, sometimes he withdraws. Maybe He’s praying more for your heart than your healing…

I wonder if Jesus is healing more than one thing in this story of the lame man. To me it seems that the story is about 1) the Pharisees & the Bible scholars being taught that Jesus does it all—heals, saves, & sanctifies. For the lame man’s friends that 2) their buddy’s salvation is primary. And for the lame that 3) Jesus is able to heal wholly, even when you least expect it. Yup. Jesus has the Power of the Lord to restore in many ways.

Which is why they said, & we shall too on Sunday, “They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seem remarkable things today.’”

First, notice the plural “our side.” You are not alone; we are in this together. Your sea monster is ours; your flood is ours. We are a family, a church family, and we are all in this boat together.

Second, God never said being a Christian meant you were kept from calamity. You will see damage in your life. You will be surrounded at times by destruction. We are not kept from it… but we are surely never abandoned. “If God had not been on our side…” Do not ask “why does this happen to me?” Rather ask, “how can a person of faith sing after that?” Because no matter what happens we have the hope that nothing separates us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38).

When Jesus is asked by Peter how far his forgiveness should extend, Jesus made his a lifetime warranty. Some people are just plain unforgiving (Cf Lamech). Peter thought there should be a “Sin Debt Limit.” But Jesus says Peter’s approach of limited forgiveness falls short – we have been forgiven much, so should we forgive in exorbitantly.

The Gospel is continuing. You are experiencing, or should be experiencing all the Christ is continuing “to do and to teach” to us even now. Just because He changed location (from earth to heaven) doesn’t mean He is through with the tutorial! Jesus is doing, Jesus is teaching, Jesus only began to do and teach in all that was recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That is not the completion of his story – birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection… His story continues beyond the ascension and unto eternity even past his second coming.

Are you open to the Gospel? Do not just read the words and think that was only for that period of time. That was the beginning. Join Christ now in His ministry, in His ongoing work and instruction. Observe Jesus at work in your life and the life of others; and even that will only be the beginning. Your salvation; just a beginning. Your baptism; another beginning. Your life in Christ, fresh every morning, renewed daily and being continually sanctified. Wake up each day ready to see what God is beginning in you and those you walk with on this pilgrimage on earth.

Two things I want to get from this passage as we understand the words used behind it. First is that kataluma bookends the story of Jesus’ life. Family doesn’t have room for him in the beginning, and so there is no room for him there. Again, at the end of his life he must rent someone else’s kataluma but at least he is there with his friends, the disciples. He may begin in the garage but he ends in the living room.

Which leads me to a thought to ponder: Are you making room for Jesus? Where will you let him stay in your life? Does he get the living room, or the basement? Can he sit and eat at your table, or does he get to sleep on the table of your grazing goats? Do you let him into “your crib” or is he relegated to the corn-crib because you just can’t be inconvenienced by him?

Jesus’ entry into this world was inconvenient. It was messy. It was lousy timing. He had to come at that time, when everyone was coming over from out-of-town because of the census and we just don’t have everything decent and in order. Of all the times for the divine to show up! I wonder if anyone from upstairs came down to see that babe that night the shepherds paid a visit. Maybe they were tired from tending to the other people they were putting up (or rather putting up with). And you can’t just have a baby in the living room – totally not sanitary nor a joy for the rest of the family to be a part of. Why, to soil the good linens with the divine blood of the baby king is unthinkable. Why not use the straw – the goats wont mind, they’re dirty creatures anyway. And then Mary can have some peace.

Jesus’ entry in the world, and yes, into our hearts is usually inconvenient. Yup, it is messy too. And boy does God need to work on timing. I think that every time I pray. But Paul reminds us, “but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, under the law.” (Gal 4:4). Next time God knocks, think twice — are you going to offer him the livestock or the living room? Too busy right now? Too complicated? Don’t miss your opportunity. You never know how he may change you and through you the lives of so many. Just like good ‘ole Zacchaeus, don’t miss the invitation of Christ, “hurry and come on down, for I must stay at your house today.” (Lk 19:5).

Make room for Jesus. In all its mess, inconvenience and lousy timing is a blessing beyond your sacrifice.